Himachal assembly adjourned amid uproar over Pekhubela project allegations, unparliamentary language

Treasury and opposition members on Tuesday locked horns in the Vidhan Sabha over the use of unparliamentary and objectionable words, forcing Speaker Kuldeep Pathania to adjourn the House amidst the uproar.

Trouble broke out when the Speaker said the word 'corruption' could not be used unless it was backed with proof.

"Contemptuous charges made by MLAs without reference to rules will not be allowed. Indecent and provocative words that create tension will not form part of the record," the Speaker said.

Giving his ruling, the Speaker said he would run the House strictly as per the rules.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu urged the Speaker not to expunge the remarks made by him on the grant of concessions by the previous BJP regime, as the state government had proof.

Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur objected to aspersions being cast on his regime regarding the grant of customised packages to investors. As there was an uproar in the House, the Speaker adjourned the House at 12:30 pm.

The Speaker also rejected the privilege notice given by Sudhir Sharma against Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, as it was not as per the rules and there was no proof attached to it.

The Opposition protested against the objectionable remarks made by Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi against the LoP.

Pathania said the assembly is a forum to raise public issues and not to draw political mileage. "You can represent the public voice, but what you say should be within the ambit of the rules and not have political motives," he said. He also said that the unedited video clippings of the MLAs' speeches would not be released until cleared by the Vidhan Sabha, so that such words and allegations are not carried by the media.

"If debate content is outside the subject matter of the issue, it will not be part of the house record. Allegations of anomalies in the Pekhubela project will not go on record, as you will have to prove and establish them. You can allege corruption, but you cannot say there was corruption," said Pathania.

The Speaker said that whatever is said on the floor of the House cannot be challenged anywhere, but it was his duty to maintain decorum in his capacity as the guardian of the house.

"Powers have been given to me by the Constitution, and my decisions are final and not subject to any scrutiny. The house should run smoothly, but allegations without record cannot be part of the record," he ruled.